Techniques for modifying the behavior of documents delivered over a computer network

Abstract

In one embodiment, a web page stored in a first server computer includes a reference to a wrapping code stored in a second server computer. The wrapping code may be pulled into a client computer when the page is downloaded to the client computer. Upon execution in the client computer, the wrapping code may add a functionality to the web page. The functionality added by the wrapping code may be activated along with a pre-existing functionality of the web page in response to a user interaction with the web page.

1 . A method of modifying a behavior of a web page, the method comprising: 
 storing a web page in a first server computer, the web page including a reference to a wrapping code stored in a second server computer;    providing the web page to a client computer;    pulling the wrapping code from the second server computer to the client computer;    executing the wrapping code in the client computer to add a functionality not present in the web page as stored in the first server computer; and    in response to a user interaction with the web page, activating a pre-existing functionality of the web page corresponding to the user interaction and activating the functionality added by the wrapping code.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pre-existing functionality of the web page includes pointing a web browser displaying the web page to another web page, and the functionality added by the wrapping code includes displaying an advertisement in a separate browser window.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein executing the wrapping code in the client computer comprises: 
 locating an object in the web page; and    configuring the client computer to activate the functionality added by the wrapping code whenever a user interacts with the object.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein configuring the client computer to activate the functionality added by the wrapping code comprises assigning to the object an event handler that displays an advertisement in a separate window whenever the user interacts with the object .  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pre-existing functionality of the web page does not perform any action.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein executing the wrapping code in the client computer comprises positioning a transparent layer over a viewable portion of the web page.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein activating the pre-existing functionality of the web page comprises: 
 detecting a portion of the transparent layer affected by the user interaction with the web page;    determining a viewable portion of the web page that has a substantially same coordinates as the affected portion of the transparent layer; and    performing a pre-existing functionality assigned to the viewable portion of the web page.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein activating the functionality added by the wrapping code comprises displaying an advertisement in a separate browser window.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user interaction comprises a mouseover on an object of the web page.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user interaction comprises a mouse click on an object of the web page.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user interaction comprises a mouse click anywhere on the web page.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the advertisement comprises an invitation to download an application program.  
     
     
         13 . A system for modifying a behavior of a document provided over a computer network, the system comprising: 
 a first server computer including a document, the document including a reference and a pre-existing functionality; and    a second server computer including a wrapping code pointed to by the reference, the wrapping code being configured to be provided to and executed at a client computer upon downloading of the document to the client computer, the wrapping code including instructions to activate a functionality added by the wrapping code and to allow the pre-existing functionality to be activated in response to a user interaction with the document.    
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the wrapping code comprises: 
 computer-readable program code for detecting the user interaction with the web page; and    computer-readable program code for displaying an advertisement in a separate browser window in response to the user interaction with the web page.    
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the user interaction comprises a mouse click on any viewable portion of the web page.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the wrapping code comprises: 
 computer-readable program code for locating an object in the web page;    computer-readable program code for displaying an advertisement in a separate browser window when a user interacts with the object; and    computer-readable program code for allowing a functionality assigned to the object to be activated, the functionality assigned to the object being pre-existing in the document as stored in the first server computer.    
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the wrapping code comprises: 
 computer-readable program code for locating an anchor object in the web page;    computer-readable program code for displaying an advertisement in a separate browser window when a user interacts with the anchor object; and    computer-readable program code for allowing a functionality assigned to the object to be activated, the functionality assigned to the anchor object being pre-existing in the document as stored in the first server computer.    
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the wrapping code comprises: 
 computer-readable program code for positioning a transparent layer over the document;    computer-readable program code for detecting a portion of the transparent layer affected by a user interaction with the document;    computer-readable program code for determining a viewable portion of the document that has a substantially same coordinates as the affected portion of the transparent layer; and    computer-readable program code for allowing a pre-existing functionality assigned to the viewable portion of the document to be activated.    
     
     
         19 . A method of modifying a behavior of a web page receivable over an Internet, the method comprising: 
 providing a web page to a client computer over the Internet; the web page including a reference to a wrapping code stored in a server computer;    providing the wrapping code to the client computer;    displaying viewable portions of the web page in a web browser;    executing the wrapping code in the client computer to trap a mouse click on a viewable portion of the web page; and    in response to the mouse click on the viewable portion of the web page, displaying an advertisement in a separate browser window and displaying another web page on the web browser.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein executing the wrapping code in the client computer to trap the mouse click comprises: 
 locating an object in the web page; and    assigning an event handler to respond to a mouse click on the object, the event handler being added by the wrapping code.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the event handler displays the advertisement in the separate browser window.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19  wherein executing the wrapping code in the client computer to trap the mouse click comprises: 
 positioning a transparent layer over the viewable portions of the web page.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the advertisement comprises an invitation to download an application program.  
     
     
         24 . A method of responding to a user interaction with a document, the method comprising: 
 providing a document to a client computer over a computer network; and    in response to a user interaction with the document, displaying a separate window and activating a pre-existing functionality of the document corresponding to the user interaction.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the document comprises a web page and the computer network includes the Internet.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the user interaction comprises a mouse click on a link on the web page.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the document is not capable of displaying the separate window when the document is first received in the client computer.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein a wrapping code from a first server computer is pulled into and executed at the client computer to give the document the capability to display the separate window, the document being provided to the client computer by a second server computer.